Surrender Proposals Unacceptable

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 38, 20 January 1916, Page 5

Surrender Proposals Unacceptable

The Enemy Forces at Salonika Reported Movements of 630,000 Tightening Up the Blockade

Increasing British Bluejackets

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

for the conscience sake of those 'ho are inclined to get pessimistic about the control of our first line of defence. It is also well to furbish up our history, and many would do well to commit the following epic to memory ; "Five times in the history of England the British Navy has stood between the would-be master of Europe and the attainment of his ambition. Charlemagne, Charles V., Philip 11. of Spain, Louis XIV. of France, and Napoleon—all aspired to universal dominion. Each of these Sovereigns in turn was checked in his soaring plans by British sea power." Will Wilhelm II of Germany soon have to be added to the list?

There is something very pathetic in the news that Montenegro has had to turn down the surrender proposals of the tyrant foe—Austria—for she will fare badly in the future. These splendid fighters were faced with surrender or ruin, their ammunition being exhausted and the possibility of escape being cut off entirely, and while the "White Flag was hoisted officers wept as they handed over their swords. Yet despite the demand of the enemy that there should be unconditional surrender, some of the big of heart made good their escape and joined the remnants of the plucky Serbians. Can it he that after being in such straits the Army rose again to the status of a nation, and scorned to recognise de--7 feat? In all the Balkan complications, one is chary of coming to a decision, and it is already being reported that a secret agreement existed in October hetween Montenegro and Austria, the only terms of which we have heen made cognisant being that Lovtchen, which fell to the enemy last week, was to be Austria's, and Scutari was to be allotted to Montenegro. This hint at double-dealing is hard to swallow about our fighting Ally, but one paper goes so far as to state that the principal military and political authorities should have been seized, which would have defeated the aims of the agreement. Only on Monday a Rome newspaper was authorised to state that Montenegro would make no - separate peace. Truly, about the war - as a whole, may be said in the words of Democritus: "Truth lies at the hottomof a well, the depth of which, alas! gives but little hope of release. An important amendment of the L Military Service Bill under discussion *" by the British Parliament is the agreement that the Admiralty shall have the first call on the men required No one will find fault with such a decision, which, as the High Commissioner does not mention anything io the contrary, appears to have been agreed "to practically unanimously. No doubt the statement by Mr MacNamara that the Admiralty needed 30,000 more men by March had due effect upon members, who, it may bo taken for granted, are not more loyal to the Navy than are the ordinary rank and file of members of the British Empire. The intention of the Admiralty to raise the maximum force of the Navy from 300,000 to 350,000 must have an important bearing on future movements in the great struggle, and it is permissible in these days of doubt and sorrow to couple it with the statement of Lord Kitchener yesterday that the Compulsion Bill passed in its present form would give him all the men he required. The pessimists amongst us cling to the assertion that such a strong man as Kitchener would not give the show away like that, but granting that the truth Jjj of it is not denied, the only other question is, What, then, did he mean.' The benefits of the Bill will not have been gained entirely in three months' time, of course, but neither will the men drafted into the Navy be as efficient as could be wished; still, the beginning of the big "push," whether on the West or on all fronts, may take .'■ the date of its initiative from then. "Who can say? The strength of the British Navy in . men and ships is much less known nowadays than before the war, as ihe addition of units is stated to have been numerous, as many, in fact, as are represented by a twenty-five per cent, increase, state some authorities. The total number of officers, seamen, bovs, coastguard and Royal Marines, according to the 1914-1915 figures, were 151,000, not counting reserves bringing the total to over 200,000. 3at what has been done in the interregnum? We know that when the Jjfi&erbblt of war fell, the First ami flEnd Fleets were read in all res- % - Jeets for war, and that, after additional reserves were called out on Sunday August 2, the Admiralty was M able to' give the Nation a certificate / that by 4 a.m. the following'morning the British Navy had been raised from a peace footing to u war footing, and was fully mobilised. But immediately the curtain fell, hiding from view the movements of all British men-of-war, and since then we have had only an occasional glance at some of the units. It is good to recall these things, even

The "white coats" which a recent cable reports the Germans to be wearing on the eastern front, are worn, of course, in order that attacking parties may be hardly distinguishable from the snow. For the whole, eastern front is in the depths of winter now. It is said that Germany was sifted for white stuffs in order that whole armies might be fitted out in this way. There are said to have been a good many white flags as well as white coats on the eastern front lately, though stories of wholesale German surrenders have naturally to be taken with discretion when they come from Russia, unless they are official. It is said that even Germans are being taken prisoners by the hundred lately, and a story, which may or may not be correct, is told of two German battalions which sent over to the Russians in the opposing trenches an offer to surrender if they would make a show of an outflanking movement. Another German battalion is said to have explained that it had to attack at a certain hour that night, but would be happy to surrender instead; it begged the Russians not to fire upon it. Objections were met by an offer to send its rifles over before the attack, and a suggestion that its officers might be shot as they came up behind. . For the German officers do not lead their men, by no means from any lack of courage, but because the 'supply of officers is hardly adequate to Germany's needs as it is. so that they have to be saved up as much as possible.

Mr G. Bernard Shaw playwright and novelist, speaking in aid of baby clinics recently, said: "We may put peace as completely out of our heads at present as we may clear skies and summer heat. Even supposing that the German Emperor, in a fit of inspiration, were suddenly to withdraw his army into his own frontiers and to say, 'Now I have shown you that I can sweep all your armies before me, nevertheless, as I believe the world, cannot he governed by the sword, 1 am going to ask you to discuss what is best to be done'—even if this amazing thing were to happen, how could we accept that offer? If we did, we should be acknowledging that the German Army was invincible and that we were vanquished. The nation is in no temper ,to think of peace. I venture to tell you that the German Army- is not the perfect and infallible machine which everybody believes it to be. In fighting that army, you are fighting a romantic dream—the dream of a romantic people. Being in the romantic line myself—(laughter)—l know how short of proficiency ail romantic people are. The German Army attacked Liege without siege guns and were held up for a fortnight by a little Belgian Army, thereby losing the war. Since then, of course, the German armies, like all other armies, had learned its business, until it has done wonderful things, and now the Germans themselves bare got into that attitude of mind towards the rest of mankind, out of which they will have to be awakened thoroughly, and that is why we must go on fighting. You must make up your minds that we must go on until we have destroyed that dream."